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New report shows over $6m a day spent in housing support

The Government spent $550 million over the last three months to support New Zealanders with a roof over their heads – the equivalent of $6.2 million every day.

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams released the new Social Housing Quarterly Report for the March 2017 quarter, which shows that wait times are down and more people are being helped into a warm, safe place to stay.

“We’re helping more people than before, and sooner. 1800 families were helped off the register into suitable housing, and they spent less time waiting to be housed,” Ms Adams says.

The new report shows that the increase in the Housing Register has slowed. At the end of March, there were 4865 applicants on the register – up just 2 per cent from 4771 in the previous quarter. The median time to house was down eight per cent.

“We promised to look after those needing emergency housing and we’re delivering on that – supporting hundreds of New Zealanders with a safety net while we find them more sustainable housing,” Ms Adams says.

“As more transitional and social housing is secured, we expect the need for the Special Needs Grant to decrease. New Zealanders needing housing support will continue to get it.

“These numbers underscore the importance of our plan to grow the number of social houses available, from 66,000 today to 72,000 over the next three years.”

Figures at a glance:

$550 million total housing support provided in March 2017 quarter (89 days)